Is change so uncomfortable??

Our life journey involves a series of major and minor changes –Some we welcome with open arms, and some we resist with the best of our abilities. Change is one of the important steps to success. Everyone, regardless of age and profession, has to learn to adapt to change and review their strategies, principles etc… in order to succeed in life.

Change is inevitable, whether we like it or not. Many of us feel change is very uncomfortable and that we can’t afford to change. The biggest irony is that we resist change even if it is meant to be good for our lives.
For example, a student who graduates from school and gets ready to take up undergraduate education, has to bring some significant changes in life—daily routine, new place of education, new friends, and new perspective about life. On completion of university education, he has to take up a job and he has to bear the responsibilities of a household. The process of advancing in life isn’t as simple as it might seem. We have to undergo several emotional changes.
So the first thing we have to accept as a fact that “Change is inevitable”.

Now that we know that change is inevitable, then why do we feel so uncomfortable to change?

There are two reasons for this: one is FEAR OF FAILURE and the other is FEAR OF SUCCESS.
Generally, people are either reactive or proactive. Reactive people merely respond to events; they wait for things to change but they don’t try to change themselves according to the circumstances. Proactive people, on the other hand, fear change because they start assuming or calculating the possible consequences. It could be the fear of success or fear of failure. So they aim at small goals, try every bit to stay in their comfort zone and ignore if ever change knocks at their doors.

However, if you dare to change the result may be a successful change or an unsuccessful one. Here I present some steps to a successful change:

A clear objective

First of all, you must know what the nature and purpose of the change. You must be able to define your objective accurately and concisely: “I am going to change my behaviour for……in 3 months from now because I am going to enter an MNC”.

Here, your objective is to change your behaviour and adapt to the new organizational culture. You have to learn to talk to the seniors, managers, customers, colleagues, etc… While working at an MNC, your attitude and behaviour will determine your future. So you should be taking all steps to ensure your behaviour changes and you learn the work culture of the organization. I’d like to add one more thing: no change should be above your dignity and it’s always better to be a realistic one.

The above diagram is Betari Box which says, “In order to avoid disputes you must change your behaviour”.

Resources’ planning

You must know what are the resources available to you and how and when to use them to change yourself. For example, if you aspire to change your behaviour or attitude, you may take help of books, read some blogs on the Internet, watch personality enhancement videos on YouTube or even seek help of counsellors and management experts.

By choosing an appropriate resource, depending on your objective, you can achieve your goals in stipulated time.

Action

You have to put your resources into use. Your resources give you some information on how you can achieve your objectives. You have to utilize them and put them into practice. While putting them into practice, you may get some difficulties at initial stage; however, if you keep trying you can overcome those difficulties and successfully achieve your goals. Moreover, you should learn to review your progress and keep bringing essential changes whenever required.

Modification

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Whenever you notice that you are short of resources and need some more time to achieve your objective, you must not panic. All you need to do is modify your information or include some more and immediately implement them into action. Note that when you change your action plan or resources you should be ready to face some difficulties.

End point

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When you reach the end point or when your time limit for self preparation to change is over, you must share your progress with somebody who could offer you genuine and honest feedback. Abraham Lincoln used to be very shy and according to historians he would often practice his speech in front of his wife and a close friend. Sometimes, your critics also play the role of your teacher. So learn to take criticism positively. You may also take help from someone who has already achieved his objective similar to yours.

A clear benefit

Now it is time for you to assess whether the change you desired is successful or not. For example, if you were regarded a rat at the company you work, you will notice your team leader or manager coming to you and saying, “There is something going on! You look far more confident than what you used to be.”
You will soon find that you have got more friends and acquaintances than before and life has taken a positive turn.

Some Popular Quotes on change

“The wheel of change moves on, and those who were down go up and those who were up go down.” Jawaharlal Nehru

“There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one’s position, and be bruised in a new place.” Washington Irving

“Nothing is permanent, but change.” Heraclitus

“One of the things I learnt when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself I could not change others.” Nelson Mandela

“It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.” Isaac Asimov

“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.” Herbert Otto

“Any change, even for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” Arnold Bennett

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.” Helen Keller

“A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.” Spanish Proverb

[The author is a 19 year old B.Tech student at KLUniversity in Vijayawada who aspires to become a psychologist and motivational speaker. He can be reached at [email protected]]